DIY Photo Booth – The Selfie Station

So, you were going to hire a Photo Booth, complete with photographer, amazing backdrop, fun props and killer lighting, but it hasn’t happened. Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it. You are planning a wedding with a ton of stuff to do and an ever shrinking budget; you don’t have to apologise for not ticking everything off your to do list – your wedding will survive. But, you don’t have to go without a fun photo station either. A much simpler and quicker option is to encourage your guests to take Selfies.

Selfies at your wedding

Think about it, many of your guests are likely to be snapping away on their phones throughout your wedding anyway (because; your wedding is amazing). Why not take advantage of all of those phones in one place? It’s as simple as creating a hashtag for your wedding and encouraging guests to snap away throughout the day and post to Instagram using the hashtag (your Emcee can help with this). The hashtag will make it easy for you to find the images later by simply searching for it on Instagram. Or, if you prefer to keep your wedding off social media, set up an online shared photo stream where guests can easily upload the photos they take at your wedding. You can include the link on your wedding website, in their invite, on a cute card placed at their seat, or on signage around your wedding. To really seal the deal, email all of your guests the day after your wedding reminding them to share (this is a great job to delegate to a friend or family member).

An added benefit of giving guests a way to share the photos they take on their own phones is that your wedding reception also becomes the backdrop for the photos. Which means; you don’t need an actual Photo Booth. But if you would really love one, why not create a Selfie Station where guests can have some fun.

Your Selfie Station will need to be in a prominent place, one guests can see easily from their seats, or that they pass by as they move around your Reception (but not so prominent that they are tripping over it on the way to the bar/bathrooms etc). Some signage will also help. Anything goes when it comes to your Selfie Station – the idea is to get creative and use what you have. Things you might include are:

a backdrop can be as simple as an old picture frame with no glass, or signage/floral arrangements from your ceremony

a basket of fun props such as sunglasses, hats, crowns, masks

a table to pop the basket of props on

a vintage couch or a swing

Selfie Sticks

A great way to make sure that guests get involved with your Selfie Station is to use it yourselves! If guests see you using it, or you getting photos at the Selfie Station with friends and family, they will soon get involved.

An alternative to guests using their own phones at your Selfie Station is to place Polaroid Cameras (and plenty of photo paper) at your DIY Selfie Station. This Selfie Station will benefit from that backdrop and you can add in a book, glue and a pen so your guests can take their photo and then paste it into the book with a note for you.

There you have it, our tips for a simple, diy selfie station that you can create with, or without a backdrop and props. If you have some suggestions of your own, or had a Selfie Station at your wedding, make sure you let us know in the comments.